| Sony will expand sales of its 11-inch OLED (organic light | | | | did right?) seeing as how Sony plans to be producing |
| emitting diode) television to Europe in 2009, according | | | | medium to large OLED panels as early as April 2009 |
| to a Japanese press report. | | | | The XEL-1 comes with 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, with |
| Detailed launch plans for the TV, which went on sale | | | | an ultra thin form. If the UK gets a similar model to |
| in Japan in December 2007 and in the U.S. in January | | | | Japan, it will also come with two HDMI ports, a |
| 2008, including its price are yet to be determined, the | | | | memory stick port for high resolution photos, and |
| Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its Wednesday | | | | networking capabilities thanks to Ethernet. |
| morning edition. | | | | It also uses the Xross Media Bar Sony has been keen |
| OLED is an emerging flat-panel | | | | to use across all its products, and will be seen in the |
| display technology that uses an organic material in | | | | new Vaio laptops and the PS3 and PSP so far. |
| the pixels that emits its own light, so a backlight isn't | | | | Good things in small packages? |
| needed. That helps make the displays thinner and | | | | Sony's XEL-1 has won broad praise for its thinness |
| much less power-hungry. OLED screens also handle | | | | and bright, vivid images. But at around ¥200,000 |
| fast-moving images better and offer richer color | | | | (US$1,829) in Japan and around US$2,500 in the U.S. |
| reproduction than current LCDs (liquid crystal displays) | | | | the TV set remains too pricey for most consumers. |
| and PDPs (plasma display panels). | | | | For Sony to significantly expand sales it will need |
| Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports this morning that | | | | to increase production from the current 2,000 sets |
| Sony plans to sell its 11-inch XEL-1 OLED TV in Europe | | | | itmanufactures per month but technical hurdles remain |
| in 2009. That dovetails nicely with a two-week old | | | | as OLED is a new technology and production |
| statement by a Sony representative who said, "I'd be | | | | processes are still being refined. |
| very surprised if this hasn't arrived in the UK by 2009." | | | | Several of Sony's competitors are also working on |
| Us too, after all, it's been on sale in Japan since | | | | OLED screens. |
| December of 2007 and was recently caught slumming | | | | Panasonic is working on the technology and a recent |
| the big box outlets in the US. It only seems natural then, | | | | report said it plans to have a set of around 40-inches |
| that Sony would ramp production to the point that by | | | | screen size on sale within the next three years. |
| 2009 they could meet the minimal, European demand | | | | Toshiba has also said it plans to launch a 30-inch-class |
| for a $2,500-ish TV measuring just 11-inches -- million:1 | | | | OLED set but hasn't provided details while Samsung |
| contrast or not. Still, it's all a bit late if you ask us (you | | | | has also been showing OLED panel prototypes. |